Moved to http://bisdaktech.wordpress.com

To all those following this blog I am no longer updating this. I have moved it to http://bisdaktech.wordpress.com. Just follow me there. Thanks to all

Where to get blank CD/DVD in Dumaguete

Imagine this, you need to burn a CD or DVD with your data immediately but then you found out that you don’t have a spare blank disk. To make matters worse it’s already 9pm. In most big cities this wouldn’t be a problem but here in Dumaguete most of the stores close as early as 7pm.

Here’s what you do, drop by at Times Mercantile. Yes, for all you night owls it’s not only a place to get your booze and cigars. They have a good selection of quality blank DVD’s and CD’s just underneath the cashiers counter. You have your choice of HP, Sony, Imation, Verbatim and they cost cheaper than most stores here in Dumaguete.

Next time you’re in a rush to burn your data and don’t have any blank disks just go to Times Mercantile located at Locsin Street.

One Excellent Anti Virus Program: Kingsoft Internet Security

Having a problem with viruses and spywares lately? With all the security threats against your Windows operating system out there we really need to keep our computer protected. I’ve tried a lot of antivirus programs available in the market but they usually disappoint me. Let me share my experience on viruses.

One thing I am looking for in an antivirus program is that it should not take up a lot of memory and processor activity. With my previous antivirus programs like Norton360 and AVG, I’ve experienced a sluggish performance in my Windows XP operating system. A good antivirus program must also be able to block out any threats to your computer. I’ve had lots of virus breaches on my computer using most of the popular antivirus software out there,

Getting fed up with constantly reformatting my computer I decided to search for the ultimate antivirus program. After a lot of research on Google I came upon a forum where one member suggested using Kingsoft Internet Security. KIS? I knew about Kaspersky but what is this Kingsoft? I decided to visit their site and downloaded their program which comes with 180 days of free trial.

After 4 months of using Kingsoft Internet Security I must say I am impressed. Aside from protecting my computer from viruses and spywares, it does its job with minimal processor and memory usage. The end result is that your computer works faster. I am also confident that the important documents stored in my computer will always be safe.

I never had any virus or spyware problems ever since I installed Kingsoft. If you are interested in installing this excellent Internet security program try to visit their website at http://www.kingsoftresearch.com. After you use this program you will never look for any other antivirus software ever again.

Sony Vaio P-VGN-P13GH Available at DigitalOne Dumaguete

While I was walking around downtown today and I saw this really cool notebook displayed in the window of DigitalOne. Intrigued by its design I approached the display window and I immediately recognized it as the new Sony Vaio notebook. Wow! This beauty is now available in Dumaguete?? I’ve only seen this in the Sony Style channel. The unit displayed was white and cost Php35, 000. I didn’t get the specific specifications for the particular model but as soon as I got home I researched it over the Internet.

Here are a few facts about this model which I got from the Sony site:

Operating System

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic 32-bit (English Version) with Service Pack 1

Architecture

Processor*1*2

Intel® Atom™ Processor Z520 (1.33 GHz, HT Technology supported*3)

Chipset

Intel® System Controller Hub US15W

Processor System Bus

533 MHz

Memory Bus

533 MHz

Cache Memory

512 KB

Main Memory

Pre-installed/Max

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM (on board*4)

Hard Disk Drive

Hard Disk Drive

60 GB*5　 (Ultra ATA/100, 4200 rpm)

Graphics

Graphics Accelerator

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 500

Display

Type

8" wide (UWXGA: 1600 x 768) TFT colour display

Interface

USB

High Speed USB 2.0 x 2

Headphone

Stereo mini jack x 1

Memory Stick Slot

Memory Stick Duo (PRO-HG compatible,MagicGate compatible)*6

SD Memory Card Slot

SD Memory Card*7 (SDHC compatible, MMC compatible)

DC IN

x 1

Others

I/O Connector x 1

Wireless Connection

Wireless LAN Type

Integrated Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11b/g/Draft n*8

Wireless LAN Data Rate

maximum 11Mbps (802.11b)/54 Mbps(802.11g) 300 Mbps (Draft 802.11n)*9

Wireless LAN Frequency

2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/Draft n)

Bluetooth

Bluetooth standard Ver. 2.1+EDR

Camera

Front Side Camera

Effective pixels: 640 x 480

Audio

Sound Chip

Intel® High Definition Audio compatible

Speaker

Built-in stereo speakers

Microphone

Built-in monaural microphone

Keyboard/Input Device

Keyboard

Approx. 16.5 mm key pitch/1.2 mm keystroke , 82keys , Stick Pointer

Battery Life*10

Bundled Battery

VGP-BPS15/B,/S Lithium-ion battery: up to 3 hours of use

Optional Long Battery

VGP-BPL15/B,/S Lithium-ion battery: up to 6 hours of use

Size

Dimensions (WxHxD)

245 x 19.8 x 120 mm

Weight

620 g (including the supplied battery)

Included Software

Video Playback

WinDVD for VAIO

Music

VAIO MusicBox

Still Image/Photo

PMB (Picture Motion Browser), Windows® Photo Gallery

Home Network

VAIO Media plus

Word Processor/Spreadsheet

60-Day Trial Version of Microsoft® Office Professional 2007*11

Tool

Roxio Easy Media Creator, Adobe® Reader® 9, McAfee PC SecurityCenter 90-day Free Trial*12

Utilities

VAIO Control Center, VAIO Presentation Support, WebCam Companion, Magic-i™ Visual Effects

Support

VAIO Recovery Center, VAIO Update, VAIO Data Restore Tool

Supplied Accessories

AC Adaptor

AC Adaptor (VGP-AC10V2)

Battery

Lithium-ion battery (VGP-BPS15/B,/S)*13

Others

Spare Stick Pointer caps x 2

The specifications of this notebook are impressive enough that if only I had Php35, 000. I would immediately purchase it. I’m seeing this model to be a hit among students and those professionals who are always on the move. With its small size you can actually carry it around with ease.

Planning to buy one of these? Why not head out to DigitalOne located at Perdices Street. You won’t miss this small computer store which is in between Jollibee and Rose Pharmacy.

From XP to Ubuntu: A Smart Move

Yes you read it right, my netbook is now running on Ubuntu 9.04. It's the Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04 to be precise which I downloaded from their website. Why did I shift operating systems? A lot of people who have been using Microsoft operating systems tend to stick to Microsoft. I for one am an avid Microsoft user having used their operating system since Windows 95 came out.

Here are the reasons why I switched to Ubuntu

1.Ubuntu is free
100% free nothing to pay, nothing to pirate if you can't pay. When my netbook was running on XP I had to manually install most of the drivers. With Ubuntu, I did not have a problem with the drivers. Everything worked perfectly after installing Ubuntu, WiFi, webcam, touchpad, ethernet.. nothing to install.
2.Applications are free
Again after installing Ubuntu OS your system would automatically have OpenOffice 3.0, Firefox 3.0, Pidgin Messenger, Evolution Mail Client. Everything Microsoft has, Ubuntu also has only this time it is for free.
3.No Need For Anti Virus software
Here's what made me like Ubuntu. During my XP days I had to constantly reformat my PC, at most once a month due to all these viruses, spywares, malwares, adwares, etc. Right now my system and data is safe since no virus can infect the Ubuntu operating system.
4.Faster boot time
What takes a minute boot time for XP takes only an average of 25 seconds now.
5.Excellent Support
Need a photo editor? Planning to convert your downloaded movie files so that they can be played by your regular DVD player? Just search for your program of choice in the Ubuntu repositories. This way you really are sure that the program will work. With the windows operating system you would have to download trial versions of programs and most of these have viruses and spywares embedded in them.

I have been using Ubuntu for 3 months now and I don't think I will be going back to the Microsoft OS. I am in fact excited to use the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala edition which should be released this October. More on that when I receive my copy.

Want a free copy? Just leave me a message, better yet try go to the Ubuntu homepage.

For more information regarding Ubuntu you can visit their website at http://www.ubuntu.com and http://ubuntuforums.org

Best Internet Service Provider in Dumaguete

Planning to have Internet access in your home? Here is my experience on the ISP ( Internet Service Provider) companies here in Dumaguete City.

Last Feb 2009 I was looking around for an ISP that would provide me with a good Internet connection at home. Here in Dumaguete I came up with 3 choices, SMARTBRO fixed wireless, GLOBELINES DSL and SkyCable Broadband.

Here was my assessment of the 3

SMART - Needed an outdoor antenna (Canopy)
GLOBELINES - comes with a landline (with cellphones available cheap, who uses these?)
SkyCable - comes bundled with cable service

I also asked around from friends who subscribed to these providers. GLOBELINES DSL was actually pretty good, less downtime experienced and the speed was pretty fast for the 1mbps connection. The only problem was that if there is a downtime it would last almost a day according to my friends.

I was able to check the SMARTBRO fixed wireless from a friends house. Internet speed was pretty decent however I was not able to check on downtimes.



I ended up subscribing with SkyCable Broadband, the bundled cable service was the main selling point for me. I signed up for their 384 kbps service and after waiting for 2 days cable service and Internet was already running in my house.

What's good about SkyCable Broadband here in Dumaguete is that I have only experienced 2 downtimes ( no Internet connection at all) so far since I got connected and they only lasted 2 hours at most. Speed is good, have not experienced any slow browsing problems at all. This might be due to the new Scientific Atlanta cable modems that they provide to their subscribers.

If you are looking for an excellent Internet Service Provider try to visit the SkyCable office in Dumaguete located at the ground floor of GAT Bldg. which is at the corner of Real and San Jose streets. You could also call them at 225-7691, 225-7693 and 422-7049 for further details.

Free Internet using your 3G phones here in Dumaguete using Opera Mini

Here’s one good way to access the Internet for free here in Dumaguete. I have been using this method for a week now but others have been using it for almost a year. You just need a cellphone that can install a .jar file. All new phones can install this file, I tried installing it using my w890i and it works perfectly. I’ve also tried to install it in my previous k800i cellphone and it works fine. I used a Smart SIM in testing this and you just need 1 peso of load to access the Internet.

How did I do it? Well you need to download this modded Opera browser in your cellphone first, here is the download link OPERA MINI v.4.2 Thor's Edition. Just install it in your cellphone and you are good to go. Make sure that you have the correct Internet settings set up in your phone though. For Globe or Smart users try to check their respective websites for the settings. You can also call their customer care numbers to have the settings sent to you.

My phone already had all the correct settings for Smart and Globe so all I needed to do was install the Opera browser software. I made sure my Smart SIM only had a peso load when I checked the Internet. Worked perfectly! I could surf any site, check my emails and most importantly update my Mafia Wars game in my Facebook account.

The file which you have was actually provided to me by Thormentor of symbianize.com. You could also check out his other programs at the forum mentioned.

Free mobile Internet anyone?

Surfing in McDonalds Dumaguete

As we all know, the McDonalds branch of Dumaguete is currently Wi-Fi enabled. But how is the connection here? I decided to test their connection while I was waiting for BPI, which is located across the street, to open. I arrived at McDonalds Dumaguete at around 8am and proceeded to order breakfast first. I didn’t get the brand of their wireless router but you can see it on the wall on the left side of the counter.

I proceeded to turn on my MSI wind and automatically found the access point of McDonalds Dumaguete. No passwords, this is good. Once connected, I first ran a speedtest at speedtest.net using Google Chrome. The results are posted here. Not bad for a free connection. The sites that I tested like yahoo mail and Gmail opened up pretty quick. I was soon happily browsing the net while eating my breakfast.

After I saw that BPI was already open I prepared to leave. Overall Internet experience was good. There were a couple of people who were happily browsing the Internet as well when I checked the tables. Good thing there is free Internet in McDonalds, now all we need are power sockets so that we could plug our laptops and not worry about our batteries draining.

Using my w890i and MSI Wind u100 for SKYPE Free of charge using SMART Prepaid SIM

Here’s one quick guide to use SKYPE for free. What I use is my w890i cellphone with a SMART sim (Make sure to maintain at least 1 peso load). You also need a computer, what I used is my trusty MSI wind u100. Once the Sony Ericsson PC Suite has been installed in your computer try to connect your cellphone to your computer and make a connection to the Internet. You would be able to connect to the SMART network however you will not be able to browse websites or connect to your favorite IM clients, or so it seems.

I accidentally found out one day that you can use SKYPE to connect even though you only have one peso of load. I used to make a couple of calls internationally to friends without charge. I even leave my SKYPE on when I sleep. Not bad huh? Check it out for yourselves. This may just be a network glitch but hey, let’s use it as long as it’s free of charge.

Anyone out there can share their experiences regarding this?

Globe Tatoo better than Smart Bro in Dumaguete?

Is it just me or does everyone else have slow Internet speed using Smart Bro in Dumaguete City? I recently purchased a Globe Tatoo kit and speeds using speedtest.net usually range around 400kbs to 1.5 mbps in my area. If I use my HSDPA w890i cellphone using a SMART sim I could only get 115kbps and only a 3g signal, no HSDPA. Now, if you guys say that it must be a phone issue, I placed my Globe sim in my cellphone and guess what, the HSDPA indicator just went on. The speedtest I did using the Globe sim on my cellphone was the same as the one I got using my Globe Tatoo USB Modem.

For all those not familiar with (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) HSDPA, it is faster than 3G. For Dumaguete, the speed i get maxes out at 3.6 mbps for HSDPA while for 3G it maxes out at 115 kbps.

This could only mean one thing. There is no HSDPA signal for Smart in Dumaguete City while there is for Globe. I’ve also attached a map of the general vicinity where I did the comparison between Globe Tatoo and Smart Bro in Dumaguete.

Globe Tatoo using MSI Wind u100x in Dumaguete City

Here is the initial speedtest result of my Globe Tatoo here in Dumaguete.

Bought the new Globe Tatoo at the local Globe center here in Dumaguete. It just costs Php1895 and comes with free 5 hours of Internet time. As far as the connection goes, it seems to differ during different times of the day in my home ( Silliman Avenue Extension). Early dawn is when I can get a faster speed while early night time seems to be slow.

Acer Aspire One plus K800i Sony Ericsson = Anywhere Internet

Hi guys! This will be my first article in this blog. I’m writing this article using my trusty Acer Aspire One A110 netbook. It was initially running on Linux but I installed Windows XP on it. Don’t get me wrong, Linux was great and fast but then it lacked some of the usual programs I needed that only ran in Windows. So after installing Windows XP with service pack 3 and some serious tweaking, here I am at last writing.

For those who aren’t familiar with netbooks, think of a laptop but only smaller with no optical drive. Before I purchased my netbook I did a lot of research and window shopping on the different prices and features of the different models and brands out there. I ended up with purchasing my Acer Aspire One with an 8 gig SSD. I was only planning to use my netbook for writing articles but then I soon bought an external optical drive and started watching DVD’s on it. Finally, I also interfaced my netbook with my k800i cellphone and soon got Internet connection inside my room where Wifi signals are not available.

The quality of the connection using 3G is not as stable as that of a Wifi connection though. I’m using SMART as my service provider. I get a speed of around 115kbps whenever I connect to the network. With this speed, I could do video calls using Skype and Yahoo messenger. What I notice though is that I usually lose signals often and get disconnected. This usually happens after around 15-20 minutes of being online. To get back online I have to reconnect back to the network. So far, I only use this type of connection for checking mails, communicating via Skype and Yahoo messenger and browsing websites. For downloading though, I would rather use WiFi since it is more stable and offers a higher bandwidth.

I am presently located here in Cebu City, at Jones Avenue to be exact. This is where I usually connect to the Internet using 3G since my rented room doesn’t seem to have any wireless signals. I suggest to all those with laptops out there to try using your 3G cellphones for on the spot Internet access. You may not be able to do online games with this type of connection, but for emails and browsing it sure does the job.